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#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan freezes the blood in this fiercely sensual Carpathian novel...Born into a world of evil and ice, Dragonseeker Lara Calladine is a child of three species yet belonging to none. She walked her chosen path alone, trusting no one. For beyond the frozen hell of her youth were even greater dangers.
Today, an expert in the study of ice caves, Lara searches for the source of her nightmares. Nicolas De La Cruz can help her. Though centuries show more of hunting and killing have taken their toll, he longs to feel sensual love without the hunger for blood.
As Lara and Nicolas search the treacherous Carpathian landscape, their tenuous trust shifts into an undeniable passion. But their mysterious pasts share a secret that could destroy them both...
INCLUDES BONUS CONTENT!. show less
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In the sixteenth book of the Dark/Carpathian series, Lara Calladine is exploring some mountainous ice caves, hoping to find her imprisoned aunts. Years earlier, her great aunts—long trapped in dragon form and incased in ice—helped the child-Lara flee from her evil great grandfather and father. Xavier and Razvan would viciously beat her, drink her blood, and verbally abuse her. She’s part human/mage/Carpathian and comes from the Dragonseeker line, so she’s a powerful woman but unsure of her abilities.
Nicolas De Le Cruz is close to turning vampire and finding his lifemate is a shock he didn’t expect. Instead of introducing himself to Lara and treating her with respect, he feeds from her and binds her to him with ritualistic show more words. He’s so controlling that he literally shackles her to him. He doesn’t see her as a person or considers her feelings. After she attempts suicide to escape him, he brings her back from near death, fully linking their minds in the process. By doing so, he witnesses the travesties and horrific pain and fear she endured as a child and shamefully realizes he’s treated her just as bad as Xavier and Razvan did. After seeing the error in his ways, he learns to be gentle, understanding, and finally puts her needs above his.
I liked this story more than I thought I would. It’s no secret (if you’ve been following my other reviews) that I’m not a big fan of the De La Cruz brothers, but Nicolas learns humility real fast. Of all the Dark books I’ve read, Nicolas changes the most and truly regrets his actions. He starts to see all women, not just Lara, as brave and intelligent.
What I love most about this series is that there are so many characters shared from book to book. It’s always fun to catch up with the previous couples and learn about new characters.
I loved the scene when Lara, Shea, Skyler, Natalya, Syndil, and Francesca were working together to save the lives of Raven’s unborn son and Savannah’s unborn daughters. It’s rare for Carpathian women to have children—most babies are miscarried or die before the age of one—but Lara has finally figured out why. This is huge news!
While that was going, Nicolas, Gregori, Mikhail, and several of the men and two of the warrior women, Destiny and Jaxon, were discussing the future of the species and whether or not women should fight the vampire. That became a very heated meeting, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I definitely cried at the end. Razvan was so tortured and not the monster he’s been portrayed. Branislava and Tatijana are finally rescued, but will surely suffer much mental anguish even after their bodies heal.
All in all, I’m happy I gave this book a chance.
4 Stars show less
Nicolas De Le Cruz is close to turning vampire and finding his lifemate is a shock he didn’t expect. Instead of introducing himself to Lara and treating her with respect, he feeds from her and binds her to him with ritualistic show more words. He’s so controlling that he literally shackles her to him. He doesn’t see her as a person or considers her feelings. After she attempts suicide to escape him, he brings her back from near death, fully linking their minds in the process. By doing so, he witnesses the travesties and horrific pain and fear she endured as a child and shamefully realizes he’s treated her just as bad as Xavier and Razvan did. After seeing the error in his ways, he learns to be gentle, understanding, and finally puts her needs above his.
I liked this story more than I thought I would. It’s no secret (if you’ve been following my other reviews) that I’m not a big fan of the De La Cruz brothers, but Nicolas learns humility real fast. Of all the Dark books I’ve read, Nicolas changes the most and truly regrets his actions. He starts to see all women, not just Lara, as brave and intelligent.
What I love most about this series is that there are so many characters shared from book to book. It’s always fun to catch up with the previous couples and learn about new characters.
I loved the scene when Lara, Shea, Skyler, Natalya, Syndil, and Francesca were working together to save the lives of Raven’s unborn son and Savannah’s unborn daughters. It’s rare for Carpathian women to have children—most babies are miscarried or die before the age of one—but Lara has finally figured out why. This is huge news!
While that was going, Nicolas, Gregori, Mikhail, and several of the men and two of the warrior women, Destiny and Jaxon, were discussing the future of the species and whether or not women should fight the vampire. That became a very heated meeting, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I definitely cried at the end. Razvan was so tortured and not the monster he’s been portrayed. Branislava and Tatijana are finally rescued, but will surely suffer much mental anguish even after their bodies heal.
All in all, I’m happy I gave this book a chance.
4 Stars show less
Let me first say that Feehan's 'Dark' series is akin to literary crack for me. I just can't stop reading them! I agree that her books have become very predictable, yet I still love those Carpathian dudes. I want one for myself. Anyway, I picked up "Dark Curse" which is #16 I believe. If you've read one, you know the story. He's a tortured hero who's ready to give up his soul to the dark when suddenly...he hears the voice of his lifemate and is saved. He quickly falls under her spell, and now he has to learn some gentleness and patience (which never comes easy for these Alphas) to lure his lifemate into loving him while saving her from the dark creatures who hunt for her. And YES, this book is the same story...but I still like it.
He is show more Nicolas. She is Lara. He is one of the famous De La Cruz brothers. She is the daughter of the ?evil? Razvan and granddaughter of the wicked Xavier. She still has flashbacks to her nightmare childhood where she was kept for food by Xavier and Razvan. She escaped with the help of her two great-aunts, full blood Dragonseekers, who were also held by the wicked pair. Now that she's an adult, she has come to find and bring the bodies of her great-aunts home.
What I liked: Feehan gives us a lot more information on Xavier's plot against the Carpathians. We find out why Carpathian women have such difficulty with pregnancy and why their children are so fragile. We find out more about Razvan including some facts that should provide at least one, if not two, novels in and of themselves! The sex is still mega hot.
What I didn't like: Several indexes about the Carpathian language. This isn't high fantasy...get over yourself. The cutesy, non-rhyming, chants (which are WAY too detailed). Lara being a bit too whiny. The diatribe about women fighters. A happyish ending, but Lara is still not Carpathian and can't be turned for a while which means Nicolas and she will continue to suffer. BOO.
Is the book worth reading? If you have been following this series, then absolutely. If you haven't...read Dark Prince (the very first one). If you like it, you'll pick up a couple more. Then you'll be hooked like the rest of us! show less
He is show more Nicolas. She is Lara. He is one of the famous De La Cruz brothers. She is the daughter of the ?evil? Razvan and granddaughter of the wicked Xavier. She still has flashbacks to her nightmare childhood where she was kept for food by Xavier and Razvan. She escaped with the help of her two great-aunts, full blood Dragonseekers, who were also held by the wicked pair. Now that she's an adult, she has come to find and bring the bodies of her great-aunts home.
What I liked: Feehan gives us a lot more information on Xavier's plot against the Carpathians. We find out why Carpathian women have such difficulty with pregnancy and why their children are so fragile. We find out more about Razvan including some facts that should provide at least one, if not two, novels in and of themselves! The sex is still mega hot.
What I didn't like: Several indexes about the Carpathian language. This isn't high fantasy...get over yourself. The cutesy, non-rhyming, chants (which are WAY too detailed). Lara being a bit too whiny. The diatribe about women fighters. A happyish ending, but Lara is still not Carpathian and can't be turned for a while which means Nicolas and she will continue to suffer. BOO.
Is the book worth reading? If you have been following this series, then absolutely. If you haven't...read Dark Prince (the very first one). If you like it, you'll pick up a couple more. Then you'll be hooked like the rest of us! show less
This definitely my favorite De La Cruz book so far. Nicholas is aggressive, hott, caring, kind, and tries so hard to fully understand Lara and her cares/concerns and past. Lara's story is hard and gritty and you almost can't help feeling the way she did as a little girl as you learn about her past. Feehan always has strong Carpathian men with their strong lifemates at their sides, but Lara is this whole empowering female character in her own right. She is definitely one of my favorite lifemates/heroines of this series. Nicholas is such a strong support for her and you truly feel the love he has for her at the end of the book. I hope Ms. Feehan lets us learn and see more of Nicholas and Lara in other books because you almost feel there show more is more to their story. show less
If you, like me, have been a die-hard Carpathian fan from the very first book, Dark Prince, then I don't even have to say a word to you about Dark Curse-- becuase you either have it in your hands right now, you've already read it, or you already know that because it's part of Feehan's Carapthian series, it is, by default, one of the BEST out there! Hands down, Ms. Feehan is the queen of paranormal romances, giving readers a complex and yet very easy to follow fantasy world filled with magic and mysteries, evil and good, shapeshifters, sexy Carpathians and turned vampires. Add in some hot, passionate and tender love scenes, plenty of them, and a great deal of adventure and action and you've got the receipe for a perfect series! show more
Continuing the series, Dark Curse tells the story of Nicolas and Lara. The story is sad at parts, telling of Lara's poor childhood, but like all of her books still has it's funny moments. Also, be prepared for a few tears along the way-- it gets that emotional, that true, both in the grief and the love. And the sex scenes-- holy cow! Grab a fan, because you are going to need it!
If you haven't been bitten by the 'Carpathian Reading Bug' yet, then I don't know what else I can possibly say to convince you to pick up the books. They have everything you could possible want in any book, especially a romance! Love, passion, humor, adventure, suspense, magic, vampires... Seriously, what more could you ask for? Oh, right, sorry, forgot to mention the SEXY AS HELL ALPHA MALES! (If you are, somehow, still not convinced, well then, I give up!)
I've loved all of the books, from 1-16 (Dark Curse being number 16) and unlike some series where they are boring and repeative after 4 or so books, this series is one that I would love to see another 20 books out of and I'd never grow bored because Feehan is amazing and makes you fall in love with each and every character we meet along the way, making you want to know this person's story or that person's, and the pull is so strong that you can't just put the book down and walk away-- no, you have to finish it, and then move on to the next one in the series, devouring that one in mere hours too. And when there are no more new ones to read for a year or more? Well then you sit around and go silently crazy, like me, waiting, and while you wait, you re-read them all, from beginning to end, and savoring them a second and third time before moving on to other authors and books, hoping they will be just as captivating and perfect, and some of them are very close ,of course, but none of them really hold your attention as much as the Carpathian Series does-- that is, there are no other series that you would be happy to see 10-20 books from! And believe me, Feehan keeps adding new twists and turns, characters and stories not yet explored in every new book, drawing you in even deeper so that you HAVE to have another book. Unlike with other series, the words 'the series was drawn out waaay to long' do not apply here, and after you've read even one book (as if you could stop at just one!) you too will be nodding your head when I say that.
5/5 STARS! A perfect book, a perfect series, it easily deserves a 1000000/5, but I can't really give it such a rating, can I? *Well, except for in my own mind, of course..* Like all the previous books in this series, you will gobble it up quickly, find yourself falling right into the story with Nicolas and Lara and all the other Carpathians and various other races in the book, and when it finally lets you go after the last page is read and the book is closed, you will be obsessed with getting your hands on the next book *not yet written, unfortunately!*.
And if you don't, I have to ask....'What the hell is wrong with you?' It's a rhetorical question, of course, and I don't really mean to insult anyone.. :D show less
Continuing the series, Dark Curse tells the story of Nicolas and Lara. The story is sad at parts, telling of Lara's poor childhood, but like all of her books still has it's funny moments. Also, be prepared for a few tears along the way-- it gets that emotional, that true, both in the grief and the love. And the sex scenes-- holy cow! Grab a fan, because you are going to need it!
If you haven't been bitten by the 'Carpathian Reading Bug' yet, then I don't know what else I can possibly say to convince you to pick up the books. They have everything you could possible want in any book, especially a romance! Love, passion, humor, adventure, suspense, magic, vampires... Seriously, what more could you ask for? Oh, right, sorry, forgot to mention the SEXY AS HELL ALPHA MALES! (If you are, somehow, still not convinced, well then, I give up!)
I've loved all of the books, from 1-16 (Dark Curse being number 16) and unlike some series where they are boring and repeative after 4 or so books, this series is one that I would love to see another 20 books out of and I'd never grow bored because Feehan is amazing and makes you fall in love with each and every character we meet along the way, making you want to know this person's story or that person's, and the pull is so strong that you can't just put the book down and walk away-- no, you have to finish it, and then move on to the next one in the series, devouring that one in mere hours too. And when there are no more new ones to read for a year or more? Well then you sit around and go silently crazy, like me, waiting, and while you wait, you re-read them all, from beginning to end, and savoring them a second and third time before moving on to other authors and books, hoping they will be just as captivating and perfect, and some of them are very close ,of course, but none of them really hold your attention as much as the Carpathian Series does-- that is, there are no other series that you would be happy to see 10-20 books from! And believe me, Feehan keeps adding new twists and turns, characters and stories not yet explored in every new book, drawing you in even deeper so that you HAVE to have another book. Unlike with other series, the words 'the series was drawn out waaay to long' do not apply here, and after you've read even one book (as if you could stop at just one!) you too will be nodding your head when I say that.
5/5 STARS! A perfect book, a perfect series, it easily deserves a 1000000/5, but I can't really give it such a rating, can I? *Well, except for in my own mind, of course..* Like all the previous books in this series, you will gobble it up quickly, find yourself falling right into the story with Nicolas and Lara and all the other Carpathians and various other races in the book, and when it finally lets you go after the last page is read and the book is closed, you will be obsessed with getting your hands on the next book *not yet written, unfortunately!*.
And if you don't, I have to ask....'What the hell is wrong with you?' It's a rhetorical question, of course, and I don't really mean to insult anyone.. :D show less
The best dark carpathian novel in a long time! Doesn't just forget the rest of the characters, pulls the new lovers into the legend and lives and challenges of the Carpathians. The narrative makes sense as you're reading, you can connect the events, I liked it. I was ready to give up after the weird after-life surrealism of Dark Possession.
Centuries of fighting vampires left Nicolas De La Cruz ready to meet the dawn (end his existence) after completing one more task for his family, his prince and his people. With his darkness close, he finally heard the voice that could save him and his soul, as Lara Calladine stabbed a knife in his side to get him off her. She had come to the Carpathian Mountains to finally deal with her childhood nightmares and find the only family she ever knew. The Aunts had always been there telling her stories, teaching her and then helping her to escape. Finding so many of their stories to be true, including that of the lifemate, Lara struggled to trust Nicolas and fight her past nightmares.
Book 19 ….. Just say Wow! Was the Curse his or hers? The show more elements and layers of this series are getting more complex, the addition of so many with Mage influence opens the door for such great sorcerers stories. As always, the characters are so easy to care about, the interactions with the other Carpathians are exciting and the fall of Nicolas’s ego was nicely done. This is (in my opinion) the darkest of the series with the abuse that Lara remembers and the fear that she has of people and things. The questions are stating to have answers for the Carpathian people and that is one of the best parts of a series, you become (almost) invested in their lives. More bonus, and appendix with the Healing Chants and information about the Carpathian language. I am looking forward to the next novel (due out September 2009). I don’t want to wait, but obviously I will. show less
Book 19 ….. Just say Wow! Was the Curse his or hers? The show more elements and layers of this series are getting more complex, the addition of so many with Mage influence opens the door for such great sorcerers stories. As always, the characters are so easy to care about, the interactions with the other Carpathians are exciting and the fall of Nicolas’s ego was nicely done. This is (in my opinion) the darkest of the series with the abuse that Lara remembers and the fear that she has of people and things. The questions are stating to have answers for the Carpathian people and that is one of the best parts of a series, you become (almost) invested in their lives. More bonus, and appendix with the Healing Chants and information about the Carpathian language. I am looking forward to the next novel (due out September 2009). I don’t want to wait, but obviously I will. show less
The heroine gnaws through her scarred wrists, allowing her blood to drain into the dirt because she believes suicide is the only way to escape the hero. Unfortunately, she survives and the book goes on, and on, and on from there.
Feehan includes a lot of the Carpathian Language in the dialog, and adds anthropological essays in the back matter. I found the supplemental material to be the most interesting part of the book. She has created an intricate world, but she's run out of interesting ways to tell stories about it.
Feehan includes a lot of the Carpathian Language in the dialog, and adds anthropological essays in the back matter. I found the supplemental material to be the most interesting part of the book. She has created an intricate world, but she's run out of interesting ways to tell stories about it.
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161+ Works 81,542 Members
Christine Feehan is the author of over 40 books including Dark Wolf, Dark Blood, and Earth Bound. She writes numerous series including Dark, Drake Sisters, Ghostwalkers, Leopard, Sea Haven, Carpathian, and The Shadow Series. She also wrote a manga comic, Dark Hunger, which was released in October 2007. Dark Prince won three Paranormal Excellence show more Awards in Romantic Literature in 1999. She has received seven more for her other books. She also won two Golden Leaf Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine for Contemporary New Reality, the 2004 RIO Award of Excellence, and the Borders 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award. Her titles often appear on The New York Times Bestseller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Dark Curse
- Original title
- Dark Curse
- Original publication date
- 2008-09-02
- People/Characters
- Falcon Amiras; Tariq Asenguard; Barack; Lara Calladine; Darius Daratrazanoff; Gabriel Daratrazanoff (show all 51); Gregori Daratrazanoff; Lucian Daratrazanoff; Dayan; Manolito De La Cruz; Nicolas De La Cruz; Rafael De La Cruz; Zacarias De La Cruz; MaryAnn Delaney; Destiny; Dimitri Tirunul; Branislava Dragonseeker; Dominic Dragonseeker; Rhiannon Dragonseeker; Tatijana Dragonseeker; Jacques Dubrinsky; Mikhail Dubrinsky; Noelle Dubrinsky; Savannah Dubrinsky; Vladimir Dubrinsky; Eileen Fitzpatrick; Gerald French; Alexandria Houton; Colby Jansen; Gary Jansen; Ivory Malinov; Maxim Malinov; Jaxon Montgomery; Shea O'Halloran / Shea Dubrinsky; Razvan; Joie Sanders; Jubal Sanders; Aidan Savage; Julian Savage; Shauna; Natalya Shonski; Nicolae Von Shrieder; Vikirnoff Von Shrieder; Soren Shonski; Syndil; Skyler Rose Thompson; Traian Trigovise; Cullen Tucker; Terry Vale; Raven Whitney / Raven Dubrinsky; Xavier
- Important places
- Carpathian Mountains, Romania
- Dedication
- For my sister Anita Toste, who shares my love of strange things, will stay up with me until all hours of the night writing spells and making me laugh at childhood memories, and who I have always loved and counted on my entire... (show all) life: This one is for you.
- First words
- The cold should have made her shiver, but it was fear, terrible bone-chilling fear, that seized Lara, causing such tremors they were impossible to control.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Nicolas felt the emotion spread through him. Joy. He knew the meaning of the word and it was Lara.
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